Quick Fixes to Fight Seasonal Allergies
April 2, 2013
Allergies are no fun. They can cause a lack of sleep, loss of productivity and even bad moods. Fighting allergies before they start is a good way to keep them at bay all day. But did you know that certain exercises, and watching what you eat, can greatly affect the significance of your allergy symptoms? Find out what you can do to help ease those allergies starting now.
Just Say Om
Seasonal allergies are exacerbated by more than just pollen floating through the air. Stress can also trigger the sneezing, congestion and itchiness. Yoga, a great relaxer, helps to diminish our sense of flight-or-fight response and in turn reduce our allergic symptoms. Our nervous system works with our immune system and when we are stressed both get maxed out. If doing a few sun salutations boosts our immune system then inflammation and mucus production will back down and so do our allergies.
Great yoga poses include many standing poses to massage the spine and thoracic cage and help the lungs. Forward and backward bends like Bridge can do all this while slow breathing will help too. Try Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) or Plow Pose also known as Halasana to open up your nasal cavities and help drain your sinuses. Focus on breathing out for long exhalations and shorter inhalations to help promote relaxation and lung health.
Drink Up & Chow Down
The most important thing you can do to be healthy is to stay hydrated. This applies to seasonal allergies too. Drinking lots of water keeps skin moisturized and alleviates dryness and itchiness in skin. Fluids flush your sinuses and keep mucus production down.
- Two to three cups of green tea, which is loaded with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) helps block histamines and immunoglobulin, two things that cause allergy symptoms.
- Matcha powder (powdered green tea) can be added to foods like smoothies to get your daily dose of EGCG.
- Sugar can make your allergies worse (sugar is high in acid and creates more mucus) and should be avoided, others work a little bit of magic on your respiratory system and help the problems that are associated with allergies.
- A daily yogurt, filled with probiotics, maintains a healthy digestive tract and has shown to help allergy sufferer’s symptoms by up to 90 percent.
The key is to hit the allergies before they start. Stay indoors in the early morning when you can and head out mid-day when pollen isn’t being released into the air by plants and trees. Finding time to incorporate a bit of yoga and fill up on probiotics and fluids can help you breathe easier this allergy season.
